A Lost Kitten (2 page)

John flipped his ship around and increased speed. He was not going to unleash the enemy’s carnage on more innocent lives. He released a series of laser fire and homing missiles, each with specific destinations in mind—the main engines, the guns, and the bridge.

With persistence, he swerved and dove around the large warship, taking risks to hit his marks. Sparks erupted in the cockpit. John ignored the streams of smoke that sailed across his eyes. He refused to die until his desired outcome was achieved.

The darkness of space lit up, as did John’s face. He had never been more proud of his brothers, Bob and Alan, or his sisters, Angelica and Flora. They had taken the best technology of each known alien race and created a greater technology of their own.

With his tail vanquished, John quickly ran a diagnostic scan of his ship. He looked at the small monitor display screen and clenched his jaw. He was not happy. The enemy had managed to hit the fuselage. He was losing energy fast. John increased his speed and aimed for the distant planet, praying he could reach it before his energy ran out.

He reached the planet’s atmosphere seconds before the fuel depleted. The ship’s controls instantly shutdown. Luckily, the planet’s gravity had hold of the ship and pulled it to the surface. John gripped the steering lever and struggled to keep the ship’s nose up, and away from the mountains. Spotting a patch of even ground, he did his best to land the ship on it. The Starfighter skimmed the ground and bounced. It skidded, turned, and flipped several times before it came to a halt at the base of a mountain.

John opened his eyes and glanced around. He was relieved to have survived the crash. Through the smoke-filled cockpit, he could see the tinted glass in front was shattered, but it miraculously held together better than the dashboard that was compressed inward and pushed downward over his legs.

He unstrapped his seat belt and tried to move. His elation was short lived. A sharp pain pierced his rib cage and right leg. His legs were pinned beneath the ship’s controls. He closed his eyes and took several cleansing breaths. He had to concentrate on getting out of the ship, not on his pain.

John removed his helmet, then lifted his left arm. He was about to send out a Mayday signal via his wristguard but decided against it. The enemy, Daehog and his Dominion, might pick up the signal and attack the planet. He was on his own for now.

John bent forward and tried to pry his legs from beneath the dashboard. No use. He needed help. His sharp senses detected several life forces approaching. John readjusted his translator around his right ear, hoping the strangers were not more enemies. He was not in the best position to fend them off. He slipped his hand beneath the dashboard. He reached inside his right boot, found the hidden sheath, and pulled out his Shuto blade. Just in case.

A few miles away, a small herd of camel-like podidaes galloped across the dusty terrain. Upon their backs rode six alien merchants on their way to the planet’s main trading post. One of the merchants had spotted the failing ship in the sky. The group had agreed to follow the ship and help the survivors.

Outside, the six alien merchants arrived. They hopped off their rides and scrambled over the wreckage. The cockpit’s heavily tinted glass kept them from seeing inside. Two of the males slipped their fingerlike appendages underneath the broken frame and pulled the hatch open. All six males peered down at John, who was shielding his face from the sun as he looked back at them.

John carefully leaned back on the pillow. He gingerly fingered the wrap around his bare torso and watched Dr. Yik wrap his broken leg securely in more of the same waterproof bandage.

The man resembled a bald, eight-foot human with the exception of a third, unblinking eye at the center of his forehead. It was that unblinking eye that had John on edge. It stared at him, while the other two eyes focused on his leg.

“Is that who you are?” asked the doctor in his native language.

The small translator hooked around John’s ear deciphered the dialect and played it back in his ear. John noticed the doctor’s third eye was regarding the insignia on his belt. He nodded. “I’m a Seacat,” replied John into the mouthpiece. The small computer instantly converted his English words to the man’s language and played it back through John’s wristguards.

“I know the Seacats.” The eye returned to John’s face. “They are not like you. Their symbol is not like this one.”

John looked at him quizzically. His people had never traveled this far into space. The grand opening of Sea Base Ten was supposed to be the next chapter in their lives. They would have eventually explored the area had it not been for Daehog and his followers, the Dominion.

“What do you mean?”

“The
real
Seacats live on Oceanica. They come to Cerko to trade. They are felines.” Dr. Yik lifted his head to look at John with all three eyes. “You are not one of them.”

John wondered if the felines the doctor was speaking about were perhaps survivors from Oceana. It was a long shot, since Oceana had exploded eleven years ago. None of his warriors had ever found any survivors.

“What style of insignia did they wear?”

“Same colors. Round, not oval. Inner circle round, not slit.”

John understood that the doctor meant the color and shape of his badge. The badge represented a feline’s eye during dilation. His insignia was oval in shape, red on blue. The red dilated into a slit. It had a small black dot in the middle. Dr. Yik’s round description meant there were Oceanan survivors.

Wow
. “Well, I’m not from Oceanica. I’m from the Sea-anan Empire. I’m a different type of Seacat. When was the last time you saw these feline Seacats?”

“Four full moons ago. They trade for electronic parts and medical supplies.” Dr. Yik stood. “These bandages come off in one full moon cycle, if you are healed.”

John felt dwarfed lying next to the giant. “I don’t plan on staying here for that long.” Dr. Yik’s three eyes stared at him without blinking. They made John feel like he was being analyzed. “I need to get back to the empire. Where can I obtain a ship?”

“Tavern in town. Merchants go there to trade over drinks.” Dr. Yik walked to a wooden wall cabinet on the far right corner of the room. Unlike other tall humanoids who had the tendency to slouch, the doctor walked erect. “You are not strong enough to walk there.” He opened the left panel and extracted a small vial from the top shelf.

John sat up and carefully lowered his leg. He reached for the retracted Maru staff he wore on his belt. He extended it to use the silver staff as a cane. The doctor stepped in front of him.

“This helps with pain.” He held out the vial for John.

“I have no money to pay you.” Still, the doctor insisted he take it. “Thank you. I will repay you. A Seacat always repays his debts.”

Dr. Yik regarded John closely. He delayed in answering, which made John a bit anxious to escape his three piercing orbs.

“I know. Seacats are noble. I trust the Seacats. But you are different. Can I trust you?”

If he’d had more time, John would have told the good doctor his trust was misplaced. Unfortunately, he had a war to return to.

“If you trust
those
felines
, then you most certainly can trust me. You will be paid for your services with funds, not goods.”

Dr. Yik blinked once.
Finally
, thought John.

“You think you can walk?” Two of Dr. Yik’s eyes scanned John from head to toe. The third remained on his face. “I think you will fall down.”

“I’ll be all right. Just point me in the right direction.”

John placed the vial in his shirt pocket. He then used his staff to balance as he followed the doctor to the front door. Moving was slow, but at least he was mobile. Outside, Dr. Yik pointed left. It was like looking at an old western town with the exception of steel buildings mixed in with wooden ones.

“Follow the signs.” All three eyes focused on John. “If you can.”

John pressed his lips together. He owed the doctor for his services, so he kept his remark to himself and started walking. He read the signs that hung outside each building. Some made him laugh; others were simply odd. He paused outside a large wooden building at the center of town. The sign read, Road Kill Bar and Inn. John shook his head.

He hobbled inside the building, following behind two towering, snakelike aliens. Neither held the door for him. He smothered the growl that rose to his lips. He saw the bar was on his left. He sat on the closest barstool. To his right were two empty seats.

While he waited for the bartender to notice him, he looked around. The dim room was full of unfamiliar races. No doubt each one was from this side of space. Not many of them looked like they were from peaceful planets. John’s preternatural senses stayed on high alert.

Fingering his translator, he returned his attention to the bar. He was startled to see two men with long, metallic-silver hair occupying the seats beside him; they had been empty just a moment ago. He had not seen the men approach, nor had his senses detected their presence until now. They seemed to have materialized out of the air.

The man closest to John glanced at him. He was thin in built and wore a silver chain around his head. The silver medallion in the center had a swirling wind pattern carved into it. The man’s eyes were metallic silver with a speck of white light shining in the centers. A tattoo of dark swirling clouds surrounded his eyes. John nodded a greeting. The man returned his nod, then went back to speaking to his companion, who was of the same race.

The bartender finished serving another patron and turned in John’s direction. John inwardly groaned. The towering giant had three eyes like Dr. Yik. He moved toward John and the two men beside him. He spoke to the silver-haired men first, but his center eye focused on John.

As he prepared two drinks, he said, “New in town?”

John did not realize the giant was speaking to him until the man sitting beside him glanced his way. “Oh, sorry. I am.”

The bartender placed a foaming drink in front of each silver-haired man. “Here you go. The usual. Got a name?”

Again, John was slow in responding. With two of the giant’s eyes looking at the men and the center one focused on him, he could not tell who the giant was talking to. “Sorry. John McCall.”

“Welcome to Cerko, John McCall. I am Navas.”

John did his best not to visibly cringe as Navas scanned his body with that single eye. It seemed fixated on him.

“You saw Dr. Yik.”

“I had an accident.”

Like Dr. Yik, Navas stared at him without blinking. “What can I get you?”

“I was told I could find a merchant who deals in ships here. I need a ride off this planet, like, yesterday.”

John waited for his reply. It seemed this cyclops race liked to take their time to answer questions. John was getting antsy.

Navas’s main two eyes glanced over John’s right shoulder. The middle remained on John. “Far corner, on right. Merchant sells ships and other goods. Tell him Navas says you okay.”

“Thank you.”

Navas bowed his head and left to serve more drinks to his other customers. John rotated his stool. He scanned the dimly lit room and located the merchant Navas spoke of. He was sharing a drink with the two snakelike aliens who had entered before John.

The scaly, greenish gray reptiles had little black eyes, black oval patches on their leathery skin, a protruding jaw, and a flickering pale-gray forked tongue. They were one of the more dangerous-looking races in the bar. John was in no mood for a confrontation, so he waited until their conversation was over to approach the merchant. While he waited, he wondered what sort of products the snakes dealt in.

When they finally left, John stood and carefully limped his way to the ship merchant. The man had shoulder-length, jet-black hair. His flesh appeared bloodless and translucent. He was physically fit, contrary to most pudgy ship merchants John knew. His solid black eyes landed on John. John anticipated seeing vampiric fangs at the opening of his bluish lips.

John bowed his head. “Good afternoon,” he spoke into the translator’s mouthpiece. “I was told you’re a ship merchant. Navas said to tell you that I’m okay.”

The vampire-like man leaned sideways to look around John, toward the bar. John turned around and saw Navas staring at them with all three eyes. Navas nodded. John’s attention returned to the merchant, who gestured for John to have a seat.

The man sat forward in his seat. “I am Wanchai. How can I help you?”

John retracted his staff and clipped it to his belt. He was relieved to see no fangs, only gleaming white teeth. “I’m John McCall. I crash landed on Cerko yesterday. I’m from the Sea-anan Empire, and I need to get back there ASAP.”

“What kind of ship?”

“A fast one.”

“Is warp ten fast enough for you?”

“You don’t have anything faster?” John was hoping there was a race amongst these new aliens who possessed a ship with faster speed than warp speed, similar to his people.

“There is nothing faster than warp ten.”

John sighed.
Apparently not outside of my empire
, he thought. “There’s one problem. I have no money.”