Eliot dropped out of hyperspace, looked up at the viewport, and choked, "Where the hell did that planet come from?"
"What planet?" his co-pilot, Jabez demanded as he fought his way up to the tiny bridge of the shuddering microfreighter. Then he caught sight of the bluish white and green planet looming too large in the viewport and gasped "Oh—God—no!"
Eliot frantically fired the braking thrusters, but it was too late. The Phantom was already caught by the mystery planet’s gravity. "Brace for impact," he said tightly as they plummeted to the unknown earth below.
"Ellliooott!!!" Jabez screamed.
On the planet’s surface, two of the natives were walking together under the night sky. At first glance they might be mistaken as Terrans, but closer examination would show that they only shared the humanoid form. They wore no clothing, only hemp belts and a kind of ornamental collar, for their bodies were covered with a thick fur which served the purpose of warmth, if not decency. Their hands and feet were more like paws; they did have opposable thumbs, but all their digits ended in retractable claws. Their faces looked very much like a cat’s, especially the structure of the mouth and the nose; also the eyes, which had vertical pupils. The fur on their heads was longer and thicker than that on their bodies, peaking with two large pointed ears at the top of the head. The final feature to separate them from the Terran race was the long tails that swished gently behind them as they walked silently along.
Suddenly, a high-pitched whine that steadily grew in volume caused them to look up at the sky. They cried out in terror as a huge (to them) dull-silver-colored craft descended out of the sky to crash and skid until the forest about a half-kilometer off stopped it.
For a moment, the two cat-like creatures stood frozen, and then they exchanged glances.
"Oh, not another one!" one of them groaned in their own language. His name was Alahnso; his fur was black and white patched, and his eyes were deep blue.
"Come on," ordered the other, who had grey and black striped fur, green eyes and the name Munkustrap.
Warily they approached the downed ship as if they expected it to lunge like a wounded animal. It didn’t, but as they drew near, there was a loud hiss of air, and a hatch slowly opened outward on the underside. Alarmed, Munkustrap and Alahnso scurried to safety in the nearby trees, which they climbed with lightning speed.
The hatch continued its descent until the end of it touched the ground. Light poured out of the opening and around the figure that swiftly walked down the ramp and then closed it by pointing something at it.
Munkustrap tried to study this new creature from his perch on a low branch. It didn’t seem very large; its body was covered by clothing, and its head by long pale-colored fur. It made no threatening moves, but crawled under the vessel to look at the damage.
It looks harmless enough, Alahnso called mentally to Munkustrap.
Appearances can be deceiving, Munkustrap shot back as he quietly dropped to the ground. Stay where you are.
Eliot frowned as he surveyed the damage to the Phantom’s hull. The two forward antigrav generators were completely smashed, making them useless. Eliot doubted that the craft would get much lift with just the rear generators, especially with a full cargo hold.
"Damn piece of junk!" he growled with uncustomary animosity toward his beloved ship. "There’s always something …"
He stopped suddenly and looked around nervously, taking in his surroundings for the first time. He thought he’d heard something moving in the underbrush, but nothing living revealed itself. The ship was pressed against the outskirts of a forest of bizarre, oddly shaped greyish-brown trees. A light breeze rustled their blue-green leaves. His sensors had picked up strong life sign readings, but no recognizable cities or technology. Who knew what kind of creature was the dominant species on this world? Eliot did not care to meet them right now.
He thought of his two crewmates waiting for him. Jabez, like Eliot, had suffered relatively minor injuries; however, Pavel, who was the youngest of the three, had been caught in a fire in the engine room and was badly burned. Eliot wasn’t even sure he was still alive.
With growing unease, Eliot put one hand over his blaster while the other fumbled for his ship remote. He edged his way back to the exit hatch. He was almost there when a strong arm slipped round his waist and another wrapped round his neck, drawing his head back sharply in such a manner that the only sound he could make was a sort of gasping gulp. His feet were lifted off the ground, and his unseen captor carried him swiftly to the cover of the trees where he was unceremoniously dropped against a rather prickly bush.
Before he could cry out, a paw-like hand with sharp claws was laid warningly across his throat. He looked up and gasped to see a furry grey and white face with piercing green eyes glaring at him. When he tried to pull away (though the bush prevented him from escaping), the creature drew back its lips from an impressive set of long, sharp canines and hissed.
A faint thud made Eliot turn his head ever so slightly to see another, similar creature stalking over to join them. Viewed full-length, it looked something like a biped cat, complete with fur and tail. The second creature crouched next to the first and said something in a language that was foreign to Eliot's ears.
"Hey, uh, excuse me," Eliot said, trying to sound casual. The two cats turned to stare at him. The black and white one looked more inquisitive than anything else, while the grey and black one seemed to watch him warily for any kind of threatening move. Eliot struggled to control his wavering voice as he said, "Look, uh, I just crashed my space ship, as you can see, and I've got a dying crewmate, so if you could just let me go and we can try to stay out of each other's way. Please?"
Alahnso stared at the small creature before them, then turned to his chief and friend. "He speaks Mozu's language."
"Yes, I know," Munkustrap said quietly, and he eased his grip on the stranger's throat.
Could you understand what he said?"
Munkustrap frowned as he replayed the off-worlder's words in his head. "He wants us to let him go," he said finally. "He says he has a dying…crewmate?" Munkustrap paused, puzzling over the unfamiliar word. He turned to the alien, and using mental speech, crafted a question in the latter's language: What is dying?
The off-worlder seemed startled by Munkustrap's form of communication, but managed to stammer, "M-my friend, Pavel. He was hurt pretty bad in the crash."
You need help? Munkustrap asked. He preferred thought speech to regular speech when using this strange language, though it took
more effort."Can you help?" the off-worlder cried in a trembling voice. "Are you a doctor or a healer or something?"
No. It was Alahnso who replied. But we know one who is. Take us to your friend.
As they came out of the underbrush, Eliot said nervously, "Uh, you can call me Eliot. What can I call you?"
The grey and black pointed to his chest and said, "Munkustrap," then he pointed to the black and white and said, "Alahnso."
Eliot nodded and gestured for them to come with him.
As they approached the downed spacecraft, the exit hatch opened again and Jabez came out, blaster in hand.
"Put the weapon away, Jabez," Eliot said quickly when Munkustrap and Alahnso tensed on either side of him.
Jabez lowered the blaster, but didn't holster it. "Are you okay, Eliot?" he demanded, a hostile edge to his voice. "Who…I mean what are these…things?"
A low growl began in the cats' throats and Eliot took a step forward to reassure his trigger-happy friend. "I'm fine. Now where's Pavel? How is he?"
"He looks really bad, El," Jabez replied, looking directly at his captain. "I don't think he'll make it."
Now Alahnso stepped forward. A voice that was sensed rather than heard said, Show me where your friend is. I'll make him comfortable for travel and we'll take him to Cazondra, our healer.
Jabez stared at the black and white creature. "Did he just say that?" he hissed at Eliot, who nodded. "But how--?"
"Jabez, this isn't the time for questions!" Eliot interjected impatiently. "Just take, uh, Alahnso to Pavel."
Jabez looked from Eliot to Alahnso and back again, then muttered, "Well, come on, then," before disappearing back onto the ship with Alahnso following.
That left Eliot out on the gangplank with Munkustrap just below him. He took the opportunity to study the grey and black catman. Or, at least, he assumed Munkustrap was a man. He was about the right shape and build, his powerful muscles rippling beneath thick fur. Without his willing it, Eliot's gaze dropped to Munkustrap's groin area. There was…something there, he realized, though it was hidden by fur. He forced himself to look again at Munkustrap's face and motioned him inside.
"I, uh, just want to check some things while he's, um, with Pavel," Eliot murmured.
Of course.
Eliot glanced over his shoulder at the grey and black creature. "Hey, how do you do that?" he asked. "The talking in my head thing. Is it telepathy?"
Munkustrap frowned for a moment, then, I think that's what you would call it, yes. Then he said aloud, "Would you prefer it if I talked to you like this?"
Eliot blinked. "Well, yeah, but how did you do that? I mean, how can you speak my language?"
Munkustrap shrugged, "Do you think you are the first of your kind to crash here?" His speech was a little hesitant, but more or less perfect.
"Obviously not," Eliot muttered.
He started to step into the cramped bridge area when they heard a call from Alahnso as he hurried up the corridor with a body-sized bundle wrapped in a fire blanket cradled in his arms. We have to hurry or he'll die soon, he said urgently. A feeble moan issued from the bundle as Alahnso turned and walked briskly down the gangplank.
"Come on," Munkustrap said. "He's taking him to Cazondra's home; you should come, too."
"I can't just leave the ship undefended," Eliot protested.
"Just seal the damn thing up and let's go," Jabez said impatiently. "Or are you gonna let that big furball run off with Pavel? We might not ever see him alive again!"
"We might not anyway," Eliot grumbled angrily. His first concern was for his young technician, of course, but his second concern was for his illicit cargo. "Look, why don't you go with…with Munkustrap here, and I'll stay behind on the ship."
"I think," said Munkustrap, with a firmness that brooked no argument, "that you both are in need of our healer's attentions as well."
"Well, I have to admit he's right about that, Eliot," Jabez said. "You look like hell."
"So do you," Eliot shot back. "Well, come on, then. Let's go."
©1999 Delilah