Alien Barbarian’s Little Human

18. Nerita

CHAPTER 18

NERITA

F ear cuts through the junglev of past-life memories like a knife. Svarz is here, on Horus IV, and that puts us in danger.

And not just us.

“We have to go,” I say simply, taking Magog’s hand. “We’re putting these people in danger just by being here.”

“Perhaps that is the best course of action. Perhaps it is not. Let us weigh our options.”

I consider him for a long moment as his eyes grow distant.

“You’re…different this time around, Gog. I mean, Varona. I mean…oh damn it, I think I’m just going to say ‘hey you’ from now on.”

Magog blink his golden eyes several times and then focuses his gaze on me. The affection, the tenderness I see reflected in their depths reassures me. A little.

“I apologize. I was accessing my onboard CPU. I cannot link up to the Holonet, but I still have a considerable database of knowledge on my hard drive.”

“So, you’re a cyborg. A chiphead.”

“That term is derogatory, and typically only aimed at Alzhon.”

“I don’t mean to offend you, Magog. I’ve considered getting cybernetic enhancements myself.”

“I apologize if the process unsettles you.”

He cups his big hand on top of mine. It looks so strange, the dark red of his scales on top of my dingy pale skin. I flash back to a memory of Gog holding my hand. That was before I knew about Drokan horns.

“What are you laughing about?” Magog asks, looking at me as if I am a crazy woman.

“Oh, nothing. I just…do you remember being Gog? When you put me on your shoulders and I used your horns for a safety handle?”

“Ah, yes.” He grins, showing off rows of sharp teeth. “I do recall. You had no idea Drokan’s horns were an, ah…”

“Erogenous zone is the words you’re looking for. Oh god, this is so fucking weird. I look at you, and I’ve only known you a day, but I remember spending years with you in another lifetime. How am I supposed to cope with this?”

“The memories of your past lives are fresh now because of our renewal of the Jalshagar bond. In time, they will fade as all dreams do. Focus on the here and now whenever you can, because we are not yet out of danger.”

His eyes narrow, and he leans forward eagerly.

“Now, where did you see the Nanotech Machine Entity designated Svarz?”

My nostrils flare as I take a deep, slow breath. I don’t like thinking back to when the invasion began. But I have little choice.

“I was at work at the AVH facility here in the capitol when the Ataxians began their blitz. They specifically targeted hospitals, fire protection, and other first responders so there would be no one to help.”

“Diabolical.”

“The Alliance has not behaved much better, but I digress. I was oine of the lucky few who survived the destruction of the Alliance Veterans Hospital. We made it into a bomb shelter just in time.”

I hug myself and shiver, even though it’s not cold.

“That’s when he came. Svarz. It was like he knew the hidden shelter was there, somewhere, even if he didn’t have the exact location. We were afraid to even breathe. He revealed himself to be inhuman…I’d rather not think about it.”

“How did you escape?”

“The IHC military responded to the incursion and mounted a brutal counterattack. Unfortunately, that brought what was left of the hospital down on us. I didn’t see what happened to Svarz, but I assume it’s too hopeful to think he died in the collapse. It took us days to dig our way out. By then, several of us had died from injuries or dehydration.”

I gesture back toward the clinic.

“I’ve been trying to keep the other survivors alive ever since. Until you came along, I was the only one with medical training. The Ataxians were thorough.”

My voice breaks a little. Magog pulls me into his embrace. I let him comfort me, relaxing into his big, powerful arms.

“When you hold me like this, it almost feels like we have a chance of surviving.”

“We do have a chance of surviving, my love. A very good chance. We simply must steal a spaceship.”

I put my hands on his chest and push up until our gazes meet.

“Are you still on this steal a spaceship kick? Because there are less complicated and less painful ways of committing suicide.”

“It’s not suicide. And the mere fact that NME is on this planet adds urgency to the enactment of our plan.”

“So far, he doesn’t seem to know where we are. If we go and make a scene, we might draw Svarz’s attention.”

“It is a possibility. You said that Svarz was present. He often disguises himself as someone else. Was he so disguised when you saw him?”

“Yes, he wore an Ataxian officer uniform. And at first, he looked like a Grolgath until his head split apart into a mass of wires.”

I shudder and shake the awful image out of my head.

“Then we can assume he would not abandon such a useful disguise. An officer would provide him access to resources, manpower, and prestige to move more freely about Horus IV.”

“So what are you saying?”

“I propose we attempt to steal an Alliance ship instead of a Coalition ship. It will minimize the chances of an encounter with Svarz.”

“You’re kidding, right? The Alliance are technically allies of the IHC, and you’re a Vakutan.”

“I am a Vakutan, yes, but I do not serve the Trident Alliance. I serve the will of the Precursors, and Svarz is too grave a threat to hold to temporal alliances. I will do what is necessary to keep you safe.”

I nod, trying to listen but it’s so hard when I stare into his lavender eyes. The memory of peace and passion those eyes bring to the surface is almost too much to bear. Is that why I feel like y whole life has been spinning my wheels? Because I was waiting for the chance to take care of unfinished business?

“Magog, are you sure you can get all of the patients out of here? Even with your surgical expertise they need time to recover.”

“I am certain. The solution is simple. We will instal the more serious cases into cryo pods.”

“That sounds a little bit extreme! Are you sure we need to take that step?”

He shrugs his massive shoulders. The same way that Gog used to. Even Varona did that from time to time, when he forgot to catch himself.

“I’m not entirely certain of anything, but it seems their best chance for survival. I will be unable to provide a gentle ride off the planet. The stasis fields in the cryo pods in conjunction with the medbay inertial dampeners should be enough to keep them stable.”

“I guess it’s a better shot for survival than they have if they stay down here. Now I have a question.”

He tilts his head to the side, again like Gog. My soul aches for the simple days I spent with him on that low technology world so long ago.

“What’s your question?”

“Do you even know where to find an Alliance ship to steal? Let alone one that has enough fuel to get us off world and past the blockade?”

In response, he powers up his compad and enacts a holographic display. It takes me a moment to recognize the area surrounding the hidden clinic entrance.

“The Alliance has given up on the strategy of establishing large, long term bases. But they’ve figured out ways to hold onto small, hidden safehouses in the ruins of the city. One of these safehouses is quite close to the pharmacy where you found me.”

“Do they have a ship in this secret Alliance safehouse?”

“Negative. They have a class F fusion block, which I need to acquire.”

I wipe a hand down my face and try not to get upset.

“You were never this obtuse before. Just tell me where you’re going to get the starship, Magog.”

“Oh, I’m going to build it from the wreckage of the hovertank you took refuge in earlier.”

I wait for a long time, but he doesn’t wink or laugh or do anything to indicate he’s kidding.

“It takes an entire factory to build a starship, Magog. How are you going to do it from scratch?”

“I won’t be working from scratch, as you humans so quaintly put it. The hovertank hull is sufficiently thick and shielded to deal with the rigors of space travel. It already generates its own atmosphere and features inertial dampeners to deal with the massive recoil of the cannon.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“In many ways, it is easy. It’s merely an application of knowledge and skill using existing schematics and materials. The cannon can be converted into a thruster array with minimal effort, and without the weapons payload there will be sufficient space for all of the cryo pods.”

“Wait, how many people are you planning on putting in the pods?”

“All of them. The starship I will build does not need a large crew, and if they are in the cryo pods they will not use valuable atmospheric resources, nor will they have need of nutrition or water.”

“Jessica is scared of cryo pods.”

“A natural reaction, but I suspect she will listen to you if you tell her it’s for the best.”

I heave a long sigh and rub my eyes.

“Okay, look here, Mr. Magog. Our past lives notwithstanding, if I look at this plan with even a modicum of objectivity, I’m struck by the fact that it’s crazy as Hell. It seems desperate, a last resort, a real Hail Mary.”

“Hail Mary?”

“You don’t have human history in that CPU?”

“Only the bare minimum involving their interaction with the Vakutan race. I believe my creators did not think humanity was terribly interesting enough to use up drive space.”

“I’ll try not to be offended by that. I guess.”

Magog arches his brows.

“You were speaking of objectivity earlier before we got distracted. What did you decide about the plan beyond its admittedly blatant desperation qualities?”

“Quite frankly, I decided that even if I didn’t believe you were my jalshagar I should still take you up on it. Things really are that desperate. Sooner or lter one side or the other is going to find my little hospital, and when they do it’s not going to end well for my patients.”

I shake my head and fix him with a worried frown.

“I don’t really have any choice, and neither do my patients. We have to go with your gonzo plan. I assume you have a way of getting enough cryopods for everyone?”

“Indeed. There are dozens of backups in the facility you recovered me from.”

“Wait, for real? Is there a whole supervillain base hidden beneath the floor or something?”

“I don’t understand what a supervillain base is or should look like, but there is additional space that was not revealed when you activated my resurgence protocols.”

Moving all of my patients at once was out of the question. Some of them couldn’t be moved at al, without being in the security blanket of a cryo pod.

For the next few days, Magog and I ferry patients from the clinic to the ruined pharmacy. Magog believes he can enact the repairs and modifications without having to move the crashed hover tank.

This is good news, because we’ll be able to load the cryo pods on board without giving ourselves away. My anxiety spikes when we leave the first group of patients behind, but I remind myself they’re as safe or safer than they were at the clinic.

Thanks to Magog’s cybernetics, we’re able to easily avoid patrols from both sides in the conflict. I understand why I can’t bring myself to trust the Alliance forces. Their uniforms are filthy and patched. Their eyes carry a crazed look of desperation. Like they will do anything to escape Horus IV.

And most of them are injured, sometimes gravely. Their medics, for thde squads lucky enough to have them, do the bare minimum to keep them on their feet and moving. Because if you stop moving on Horus IV, it could very well mean your death

After three grueling days of back and forth, Magog finishes his modifications and declares the ship ready. We painstakingly load the cryo pods, then climb into the cockpit. There is, howelver, a lst minute modification to the plans.

“Why is she not in a cryo pod?” He demands.

“I told you, she’s scared.”

“Please, mister Magog,” the girl says, clinging to my hand like a lifeline. “I’ll be real quiet and I’ll stay out of the way, I promise.”

Magog arches his brows, and a smile plays at the corner of his lips.

“Make sure you attach your crash webbing extra tight, Jessica.”

I can’t help but kiss him.

“Thank you.”

He smiles and starts up the makeshift ship’s generators. I stare at the heads up display, confused.

“Why are you directing the thrusters downward? Don’t we need to move laterally to get out from under this rubble?”

“Negative. The moment we take to the skies over this city, we will be detected. Instead, we will go down into the sewer systems, and teh collapsing building will cover our escape.”

The entire ship shakes. I cling to the armrests with white knuckle ferocity. When I check on Jessica, she seems perfectly placid. I guess that kid’s been through a lot.

The inertial dampeners kick in, but I still feel the drop into the sewers for a split second. The tunnel fills with smoke thanks to the thrusters, so he switches to sensors. It seems like a tight fit to me, but he has little trouble navigating the difficult confines.

“The defense grid for both sides in this conflict is spread thin,” Magog says as his hands continually adjust the ship controls. “They are only watching where they expect to find ships. The sewers will take us out into an uninhabited bay, where direction is less likely.”

My ears pop as the hovertank enters a flooded section of the tunnel. We cut through into the bay. I can see out the portholes and cockpit glass now. I wish I couldn’t. The dead bodies and debris litter the sea just as they do the land.

The hovertank cuts into a sharp arc, streaming across the sky. Our luck holds out. I stare at the detection panel on our console, but it never activates. His plan is working.

Only when the blue of Horus Iv’s skies darken to the black of space does it hit me: I’ve done it. I’ve escaped Horus IV. I had pretty much made peace with the fact I would die there not two weeks ago.

Now, I’m finally free. I turn to Magog and smile.

“We did it.”

“Yes, we did.”

He reaches out and we clasp hands across the W shaped console. Laughter reaches my ears. It’s Jessica.

“What’s so funny, sweetie?” I ask.

“Funny? I’ll tell you what’s funny.”

I forget to breathe. That voice. It’s not the voice of a little girl. It’s a cold, bloodless, and relentless sound. A sound I’ve never heard but know all too well.

I turn in my seat to see her silver, soulless eyes staring back at me.

“What’s funny is you think you’ve escaped, instead of trapping yourself in here with me. Make peace with the Precursors, because there will be no reincarnation this time. No rebirth. This time, when I kill the two of you, it will be permanent.”