The platform they landed on was slick with sea water. Waves at least twenty feet below splashed below them, the support beams going deep into the waters below. Before they disembarked all of them except Tahu had been given masks that filtered the air on the planet. The air had a metallic tang to its smell and it was very cool. It wasn’t poisonous but there wasn’t a lot of oxygen for the terrans. They’d pass out inhaling enough of this.
The sky rumbled signaling a storm was on it’s way. It was black with a thin veil of grey green hanging above them. If they focused she could see through it to their ship and then the stars beyond. Turning toward the platform Ya’Cahin got everyone’s attention and led the entourage forward. There were about half a dozen platforms, all with bridges that lead to large dome. A few of them had ships docked, most bigger than their scout ship.
When they got to the door of the dome, they were greeted by a creature barely five feet tall. It had something like a hooded carapace over its head. There were tiny tentacles coming out of it. It had disjointed small arms that ended in a pair of thick pincers. From there it curled into a long shelled lower half with the click of a bunch of tiny legs.
The Aralagin looked up at Ya’Cahin and then at the other four who came with her and it made a sort of gurgling noise that moved its tentacles. “Yes, this is all of us. We’re looking for one of the doctors. Need some appearance alteration.”
It gurgled again motioning at them each with a claw. Its gurgling got a bit louder and Ya’Cahin rolled her eyes but held up her arm, pointing at the bracelet at it. “Yes, we can pay. A half cycle pass for each if us,” it made a hiss that went slightly higher pitch. “You’re kidding. You actually do stuff like that?”
It nodded and Ya’Cahin nodded back as she tapped her bracelet. A bell chime echoed from the creature’s mouth and it gurgled. Raising a claw it swept it forward indicating that they could proceed forward.
“What was that all about?” Jenny asked.
Tahu shook his head and smiled. “We came at a good time. They’re doing a discount for parties of four or more.”
“That sounds like some sort of amusement park thing,” Alice said. “What kind of place is this?”
“You’ll see soon enough. Easier to just show you.”
An orb at the top of the door opened and a light scanned over them slowly. It reached their heads and then shut off. After a few moments the doors slid up with a soft hiss. As they crossed into the dome itself they were greeted by an empty area with more of the slug, snail creatures. They each stood near a panel and there were large circles along the ground. There was another group on the far end of the room. But a bout of annoyed gurgling got her attention back and it pointed a claw at the pad.
“Yeah yeah,” she rolled her eyes and walked onto the pad as the others joined with her.
It made a noise at her and then pointed to the each of them, the tentacles frothing quickly. “What’s it saying?” Jenny whispered glancing at her Captain.
“To stand close. Stay on the paths. Don’t wander. They’re doing some sort of local ceremony and any outsiders will be dealt with,” she glared at Tahu and Trey. “That means you two. Wander off and get caught don’t expect me to bail you out.”
Jenny glared at Tahu pointing at him. “That goes double for you,” She said pointing at Tahu. “At least they know what’s going on, on this planet. I bet you haven’t been doing any research.”
“We’ll be good,” Tahu said. “Honest.”
“Of course. We’ll stay together and follow the rules.” He said glancing at his robotic friend.
The captain and first mate exchanged glances and then looked toward the Aralagin. It gave Ya’Cahin a ticket then pressed a few buttons on the panel and then suddenly a dome grew around them. Once it had closed entirely there was steam coming from the edges of the dome before they sank into the liquid.
The air inside was much warmer and once the steam cleared away they were granted a clear image of the ocean. Jenny walked toward the edge of the dome and stared in every direction. Deep below the top there was an entire facility. She couldn’t tell if it was the bottom of this ocean or not. It was like an aquarium, clear boxes connected by a lengthof tubes. She looked ahead and noticed the track that they were on was illuminated just as brightly as the facility.
“How did we not see this from up there?” Trey asked.
“The ocean’s thick,” Tahu replied. “Not a lot of light escapes the top.”
As it followed its path she looked in the distance of the faded green world around them. She wondered if there were creatures out there, giant fish that would try and eat them or not. She was afraid to ask and just tried to ignore the fact that they were deep deep under this ocean.
The platform connected finally to the facility, settling on another platform. It rotated quickly, each of them stumbling as it settled into place. The liquid wooshed quickly as a tube surged across the ground before slamming into the side of their dome. They jumped again startled but watched as the fabric of the dome slowly split into a door.
On the other side were three of the Aralagins. They gurgled pointing at them quickly. “Relax,” Ya’Cahin said. “Festival. On edge. We’re customers.” She said handing the ticket over to one of them. It looked at the ticket, holding it under its tentacles before handing it back to her and turning around and scuttling off. The other two followed without looking back.
“Alright team,” Ya’Cahin waved them as she strode forward. Once again they fell into line behind her. The tube was clear once again giving them a good view of the ocean. It was eerie how empty everything was all around them. She almost wished there were fish hanging around.
Jenny stared up toward the top and could just barely make out a flesh of lightning and the floating platforms up above. She did catch another dome sliding past them a separate path toward the same facility.
The Aralagins approached a proper door and it opened for them with a woosh.. The inside of the facility was bright white and pristine with cool air wafting around. There were a couple dozen different aliens wandering around, most sitting in chairs with tickets in hand. A few Aralagins were maneuvering around and an intercom asked for words Jenny didn’t understand.
“Jenny. Alice. Follow me. Tahu and Trey please just find a place to sit and not cause problems.”
“Yeah yeah Yaya. Come on Trey, let’s see if we can get something cool.”
“I’ve always wanted a tail.”
“I was thinking wings but a tail isn’t bad.” they said grinning.
Alice looked at the two of them and shook her head sighing, “Either of you flying around is the last thing we need.”
Once her hand’s lowered she felt Jenny’s hand in her own and squeezed. Jenny wasn’t looking at her though, she was just looking around them. There were tall blue creatures with antenna and then shorter insect like things with four legs each. Some were even up above, clinging to the ceiling with claws and wings.
Alice squeezed her hand back and placed her other hand atop her head lightly brushing her fingers through her hair. Jenny glanced up at her and Alice signed slowly, “Relax.” Making a face Jenny smiled and pulled her along to follow Ya’Cahin.
Ya’Cahin walked toward an empty desk, a half circle cubicle with a bunch of screens floating around an Aralagin. This one didn’t have claws but instead long tentacles touching each of the panels. There were a couple more like it against this wall.
It let out a wet almost purring sound as it looked toward Ya’cahin. “Hi, ticket for my friend. Basic scar removal and recovery.” She handed the ticket to them and one tentacle wrapped around it as it rested it against one of the panels. Digital light swam over it as it processed quickly into their system.
Pointing a clawed hand at Ya’Cahin she quickly shook her head and moved to motion toward Alice. She was hesitant but stepped forward slowly. It made another noise at her and Ya’Cahin turned to the others. “It says remove your mask so it can take a picture. They need to show the doctor so they know what they’re working with. Don’t worry. The air here isn’t toxic like outside.”
Jenny looked toward Alice and squeezed her hand lightly. But Alice squeezed back and then took off the mask with both hands. She gasped lightly as the air touched her face. Her scars were sensitive to this cool alien air. She touched her eye and cheek lightly shivering but stared at Aralagin.
It brought a tablet forward and held it in front of her face. Alice blinked quickly as the panel created a sculpture of her face. Using a tentacle, it highlighted the scars along her face and neck. It tapped the tablet and a beam of light shot from it straight toward her throat. It hovered near the side of her throat tracing the scars.
It stopped and expanded into a strange outline that mirrored part of scars but overlapped with the middle of her throat. On the tablet the image of her throat had a bright green mark that was the same as the shape it drew on her neck. Pressing a tentacle through the tablet a card floated toward them as if on a floating page.
Alice picked it up and looked at it with a light frown and glanced toward Ya’Cahin instead of the Aralagin. “Hold onto that. When the surgeon calls for you, give them that and they’ll know the procedure to start.”
She nodded gripping the mask in her other hand and stared at the rotating image of her face. The foreign letters and symbols float around her scars were more than a little unsettling.. “So do we wait now?” Jenny asked.
“Not for long,” Ya’Cahin said and turned toward the desk as the Aralagin behind the counter purred then hissed at them. A tentacle pointed away from the desk. They looked in the direction and a door opened, a light glowing yellow. It made another sound at them and Ya’Cahin waved. “That’s you.”
“Can I go with her?” Jenny asked instantly.
Silent for a moment the Aralagin purred softly, this one interrupted slightly but waved a pair of tentacles before going back to the displays that were floating around it. “They said you can but you can’t interfere.”
“Why would I interfere?” Jenny asked frowning.
“Just take it easy. She’ll be okay. Remember they’re professionals” Ya’Cahin looked at both of them then motioned for them to go forward.
Alice nodded and then looked at Jenny with a smile. Signing slowly she said, “It’ll be okay. Just don’t Magneto the doctors.”
Jenny fought her frown and walked with her. They walked passed the Aralagins and without much distance went into what Jenny could only call an operating room. There was an angled table in the center of the room but there were no tools around them.
One of the crustacean like creature scuttled past and motioned for Jenny to sit down. Looking in the direction she saw the rounded block near the wall. Moving she crouched down and sat somewhat uncomfortably. Part of her regretted having legs and wondered if they could fix that.
The other Aragalin scuttled forward and grunted motioning toward the table. Alice gave her mask to Jenny and crouched to kiss her lightly. Pulling away she moved to sit on the table and then handed the card to the Aragalin who took it in its tentacle. Lowering it underneath its mouth area it threw it to the air and a wall of light appeared.
The card spread wide to fill it as it expanded to each corner of the wall and parts of it enhanced to show problem areas of her throat and the scars. It raised a tentacle and lay it against the wall. The suckers on the edge of the tentacle began to glow brightly. Not just the ones attached to its arm but the ones underneath its hood.
It turned around quickly and the tentacle wrapped around her neck. Gasping, she spasmed slightly as she jerked off the table. Her eyes and skin glowed brightly, light streaming from her eyes and mouth. It looked like she was pain. Jenny jerked to her feet eyes wide and the other Aralagin let out a dangerous hiss. It was a single note and she remembered Ya’Cahin’s words.
She sat, gripping her knees and just stared at her girlfriend in what looked like pain as the thing operated. But even as she relaxed she could see her tightly clenched fists. “How the hell am I supposed to keep calm through this.” She growled under her breath.
Scratching her head Ya’Cahin winced lightly as a sharp pain spiked across her forehead. There was a dull throb in the back of her head and she wondered if it was something left over from the job or something new. She looked around the waiting room wondering where the other two had gone. She knew that the procedure would take a while and that was enough time for Trey and Tahu to get into shit.
She went toward one of the seats and leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling before closing her eyes. “I’ll look for them in a minute. Just need a second.”
Despite closing her eyes she still felt the area around them. Felt the psykik auras of the species around her. It wasn’t like a radar but she at least knew where the people around her were. Though it wasn’t coming in nearly as clear as normal. She figured being underwater like this was causing her issues. That and she wasn’t using her amp.
Despite things being fuzzy she knew for sure that Trey and Tahu were approaching. She didn’t open her eyes and instead turned toward then and smirked. “So, which of you got a tail?”
“Yaya, we have a problem.”
She heard Tahu’s tone and opened her eyes and her head throbbed again. Grunting she looked at them and then at Trey who was leaning against the Zorg. He was clutching his head and his face was twisted in discomfort. “What’s wrong with him? Did he eat something?”
“No. He just suddenly started not feeling good, told me he had a headache then nearly fell over.”
“It hurts,” he mumbled under his breath. “I keep hearing it.”
“Hearing it?” Ya’Cahin looked at the two of them. “This isn’t a joke, right?”
“Dead serious. I don’t know what this is.”
“Get him over here,” she said and reached out to pull him down onto one of the chairs. They set him down and held him as Ya’Cahin stood over him touching his cheek. It was warm to touch so she grabbed his chin and tilted it up. He groaned at being moved but didn’t resist. She placed a hand on his head and then opened his eyes which he did groan at.
His eyes, which were normally green, had a purple light deep within the pupil and they locked with her own. For a moment the room faded and away and she was staring into a pair of deep inky black eyes. She felt the presence of something bigger, beyond her, staring at her as if she were a bug. It wrapped around, dragging her into the darkness. Her hand on reflex went to her chest and the amp glowed to life.
The darkness was dispelled, at least directly around her and she almost fell backwards letting go of Trey. She hit the ground hard and was staring up at the ceiling. Her chest was heaving and she knew her eyes were glowing brightly along with the spines along her neck and arms.
Tahu looked at her shocked and glanced back and forth between their crewmate and captain. They got a few looks from the people around them but for the most part they were being ignored. They finally let Trey go, and they slumped to the side but managed to catch themselves in the chair.
As Tahu helped Ya’Cahin stand they asked, “What was that?”
“I saw, I don’t even know,” she said shaking her head. “Something big and powerful. Nothing I’d felt before. It almost swallowed me up.” She looked at Tahu and shivered. “We need to get Trey back on the ship. Now.”
“What about Jenny and Alice?”
She swore under her breath and nodded. “We can’t leave them behind but he needs to get off this planet. Something here is affecting him and me.” Once again as she spoke she felt her hand gravitating forward her amp and she stared at her shaking hand and then the crystal. “Wait.”
She stopped and turned to survey the room. A few other beings were stretched out around them while trying to be comforted or observed by their companions. Confused and worried most of them mumbling something. “Oh no. It’s not just us. It’s affecting psykiks.”
“Are you okay?”
“Headache, but I can handle it. Stay with him. I’ll go check on the lovers.”
She took a hesitant step forward and then got her bearings together and walked quickly toward the surgery room. An Aralagin stopped her with a raised pincer and she pointed. “I need to get my friends. Something came up and we need to leave. Now.”
The creature made a gurgling sound at her and waved a claw pointing back at the seats. “No, this is urgent. We need to leave now.” She said glaring at the shorter creature but it wasn’t fazed. It maked even angrier sounds as its tentacles flexed at her and glowed. She made a sound and held up her hand. “Fine. I won’t get riled up. No need to get psykik.”
Taking a step back she felt a spike of pain and stumbled to her knee. Holding her head she felt the waves of pain like drills driving into her forehead. She saw the face, angular with a mouth riddled with teeth. Its hands, webbed between its fingers almost wrapped around her in a crushing grip.
She shouted at it, gripping the amp and its warmth entered her body. But it only made the hands stop shaking. The being continued to stare down at her, its mouth moving slowly and a foreign language entered her ears. A chant echoing in her mind. Gritting her teeth she could feel her finger digging into her palm and tore her eyes away from the thing.
She snapped back into waiting room and everyone was on the ground. She was the only one still standing. Glancing at her amp she saw it was cracked slightly but shook her head. This was going to be a problem. Without it she figured she’d be on the ground just like everyone else if not worse.
Shaking she stomped forward and touched the door and it slid open. There was an Aralagin on the ground against the wall and another one near the operating table. A groan beside her she looked at Jenny who was slumped against the wall but she was holding the amp. There were glowing veins going across her hands and up her arm.
Ya’Cahin crouched and touched her hand and squeezed it. Her own eyes glowed as she took a deep breath and then Jenny gasped jolting to her feet but still against the wall. “It’s alright. I got ya.”
She looked at her captain but her eyes darted to the table and she stumbled to her feet. Once again Ya’Cahin caught her hand and met her gaze before looking toward the table. Lying limp was Alice. Jenny tried to step forward but let out a cry as her forehead exploded in pain.
Ya’Cahin gripped her shoulder and felt the power through them both. “Come on Jenny, I got you.” They walked toward the operating table and once they were close enough Jenny stumbled forward, holding onto the strange almost stone like material. She touched Alice’s throat and it was still heavily scarred but she felt her pulse. She held her hand over her mouth and she was breathing.
She squeezed her hand and brushed her fingers across her cheeks slowly. “Come on, we need to get her out of here. Trey and Tahu aren’t doing that hot and she doesn’t have an amp.”
Jenny squeezed her amp before slipping it under her shirt and the crystal touched her skin. She gasped as she felt the energy course through her and she stamped her feet together. Swinging Alice’s legs off the table she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and then glanced at Ya’Cahin who did the same.
They walked her out of the room and back into the waiting room at a rough pace. The majority of people were still on the ground but Tahu was standing up with Trey hanging onto them again. The ground shook beneath their feet and they met each other’s gaze’s. “What’s going on Yaya?” Tahu asked.
“I have no idea. But it’s time to go. Come on.” She said and went toward the exit. The tunnel door opened as they approached and they went to the platform fast. But when they got there the door didn’t open. “Can you take care of this?” she asked her zorg.
They stared at the keypad and narrowed they eyes. “I think so.” Jostling Trey over slightly they held their hand out. Their fingers locked together and became thinner. It hummed and they cut off the panel revealing some of the inner circuitries. They separated their fingers and pushed their index finger into one of sockets.
Their eyes rolled back into a subtle light as they worked. Ya’Cahin looked out through the clear tunnel and the ground shook again. She watched the ocean ripple and a crack split open along the ground. Eyes widening slightly, she looked toward Tahu. “Don’t wanna rush you but please.”
As if they heard her the door opened with a hiss. “You’re the best.”
They ran inside and Tahu activated the lift before getting their hand back. It moved along the track quicker than before, no doubt because of Tahu. Their eyes came back into focus and they looked toward her. “Still have no idea what’s going on?”
She shook her head and raised her hand to ear, tapping the ear piece. It crackled loudly in her ear but she shook her head as she kept searching through frequencies and eventually heard the familiar voice of the other Zorg. “Cap… in… in. …gancy channel. Pl… se… spond!”
“Ula! Ula can you hear me?”
“Ye… mo… ly.”
“Find our location and meet us. Things are getting crazy down here and we need evac ASAP!”
“Ro.. Capt…”
She made a noise as the waters shook under their feet. She looked into the water and she felt another wave of psykik energy as she shouted. Sinking to her knee she felt Alice and Jenny almost fall over beside her. She saw the face from before but now there were tentacles thrashing around as it let out a hiss and chuckled with a dark delight.
She felt its presence in her mind like a suffocating fog that she couldn’t escape through. Gritting her teeth and with her eyes glowing she dispelled the image, shouted a challenge at the face. It disappeared from her mind. Going individually to each of them. Alice was still unconscious, Jenny was barely with her but she did not look in her direction when she asked. But Trey was unconscious with a foreign glow in his eyes.
“Tahu how close are we to the top?”
“Almost there. But from the look at the surface there’s a storm going. It’s going to be a wild ride.”
“We’ve had wilder.”
The Harlequin Library 