Beyond the Sky: Chapter 31
The Ninth Species
Toras pointed the gun at Velli. “And now, you will explain. Everything.” Abdul of the Ninth Species, behind her, took a black-and-yellow device from his belt. “DON’T! I assure you my reflexes are fast; I will kill this girl before your weapon overcomes me. Now put it away!”
The creature slid it back into the holster.
“What are you doing?” Velli shouted. “He’s a friend, his people want to help!”
“I’ll be the judge of that!” His eyes shifted to Abdul. “What are you, and where are you from?”
Velli started. “You won’t—”
Abdul raised a hand. “It’ll be easier to show you.” In his other he held a radio like Velli’s, he flipped it open.
“In Mesprenian,” Toras threatened.
“Captain? Captain, you there?”
“Go ahead.” Another Ninthling voice replied. Abdul tapped the radio, increasing the volume.
“Scout Specialist Abdul. We’ve got a situation.”
“We’re patched into the feeds, I see it. Give him the communicator.”
“Take it.” Toras wagged the pistol at Velli. “Pass it to me.” He took the device, tiny in his Trinn hands, with flat TV screens of some kind on both halves. “Who is this?”
“Captain Arthur Benson. With whom am I speaking?”
“Captain? Where is your ship? Off the Jepsei coast?”
“That will take some explaining.”
“Do so quickly.”
“I can have you brought to see me,” Benson said. “I will guarantee your safety, and you may return home once you are satisfied. Do you agree?”
The mysterious vessel continued to ascend, into the upper air now.
“Unacceptable,” replied Toras. “Order your men to fly us to Mespreth, and tell me how to work the radio. Do it, or I kill her where she stands!”
The Ninth Species pilot tapped an illuminated glass button, and Toras fell upwards. Had he paid more attention to Abdul and Velli, noticed him put his hand behind his back to signal the pilot and grab a chair with the other in view of Velli, he could’ve stopped it.
But even the best operatives made mistakes. Velli lost hold of her chair, fell to the ceiling after him, while Abdul maintained his grip, drew his sleeping-stick, and fired at Toras.
His vision blacked, mind went dazed as if drunk, and stars sparkled in his eyes. Something seemed to lower him from the ceiling, back to the craft’s floor. He regained his senses, staring into the barrel of his own pistol. Velli held it.
Abdul leaned over his still-numb form. “Should’ve known better than to pick a fight with someone who controls the gravity.” Toras tried to move his arms, desiring to snap the thing’s neck, they merely twitched. “Well, it’s not actually gravity.” He picked up the communicator. “Situation’s under control, Captain.”
“Release me!” Sensation returned, Toras reached for a handhold and staggered to his feet. “I am Toras Gulin, attaché to Princess Takji, and under diplomatic privilege I demand you take me to the nearest Mespreth embassy!”
Velli, to her credit, understood instantly. “You fucking SPY!”
She raised the pistol, Abdul pointed his stunner. “Drop it. Now.”
She did, reluctantly, Abdul kicked it away. “Should we return to the surface, Captain?”
“Negative,” the communicator replied. “Proceed to the ship.”
“Aye.” Abdul closed it.
“Did you not hear me?” Toras protested. “I must be freed, under international law!”
“Oh, spare me!” Velli said. The sky outside was completely dark, a haze of blue atmosphere below.
“Yes, we’re in space.” Abdul said. “You might want to see this.” He gestured Toras forward with the stunner.
At the vessel’s front was a large, curving windscreen, one continuous piece of glass. From little nozzles outside came puffs of white gas, an attitude-jet system like Mespreth’s rockets. Beyond that, out in the void, glinted stars.
Toras’ head spun.
Abdul took a seat on the cockpit’s side and tapped a button. The pilot’s transmissions were replayed in Mesprenian.
“Scoutship Gainful Employment to Challenger, over.”
“Go for Challenger,” a female voice replied.
“Employment on final approach, request permission for docking.”
“Permission granted, proceed to Port Node One. Challenger out.”
“Acknowledged.” The attitude jets fired again with dull hammer-blows.
Toras did not see it earlier, hidden by a black shield deployed beneath, but as the scoutship rose above and approached for docking, it came into view, dead ahead:
An alien spaceship.
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