Tarak
I'm stuck in a meeting. My boss is telling us about future missions we might do. Missions, I support. My crew and I are good at dominating the other creatures we encounter, and it is what we need to keep us balanced. Why just talk about missions for an hour when we could schedule and go on one?
When the meeting goes into another hour, I can't help it. My fingers slip and I tap my wrist unit. A tiny image of Rigel's office appears.
Why can't I see my pet?
I'd given Rigel a few, simple instructions earlier today, which were: 1) properly take care of my pet and 2) keep the camera on her so that I could check in on her throughout the day. When I squint, it looks like... a sideways door?
My fingers twitch. I need to see my pet so I can confirm she is well-fed, hydrated, and not dying from neglect. The moment my boss announces the meeting is over, I run down the hallway to Rigel's office.
I need to see my pet and punish a certain bird for failing.
***
I burst into Rigel's lobby.
Rigel is seated with a scourge I recognize, the private that told me about the park. This scourge must own the glowy butterflies because one sits on his shoulder while another ten flutter around the room. My Kayla has spent hours chasing and playing with those creatures.
I ignore everyone, even batting away some of those butterflies fluttering around the lobby and I go straight into Rigel's office. At first glance, everything looks normal. My pet's pillow and bowls are still in the room, although I do not see my pet. Maybe she is hiding? I make myself quiet, hoping to at least hear her heartbeat or breathing, but there's nothing.
Rigel had one responsibility, to guard and care for the most important thing in my world.
I return to the lobby, my fists clenching. "Where is she?!"
"I'm in the middle of an appointment, Commander Tarak."
My tail lashes, overturning chairs.
The private stares as if something is wrong with me. He does not understand because he still has his pets.
I shove Rigel against the wall. "You had one simple job, which was to take care of Kayla. You only had to feed, water, and let me remotely monitor her. So where is she?"
A vibration from my wrist unit alerts me to an urgent message. Rigel's wall unit chimes at the same moment.
I have more important things to do, like teach Rigel a lesson, so I ignore my message notification.
Rigel focuses on his job, so even as I thump his head against the wall, he speaks with his wall unit. "Show urgent message."
Those annoying butterflies flutter around Rigel and me, one of them landing on the top of Rigel's head.
"The problematic behavior with my pets is starting again," says the private.
I can't help noticing the glowing butterfly on top of Rigel's head. Its skin is changing colors, cycling through a series of colors.
This is not possible, and I stare at the butterfly, and it does it again, going through the distinctive yellow-green-green-blue-red pattern. I stop banging Rigel's head against the wall.
"Are you back with us, Commander Tarak?"
"The butterfly..." I say, still gazing at the creature entangled in Rigel's hair. The butterfly does it again, its skin cycling through the same color sequence. "How does the butterfly know to make that sequence of colors?"
"They are not butterflies. They are a rare and elusive rahoni from Echinodus," says their scourge owner.
Rigel brushes the butterfly out of his head, and it takes flight, circling the room.
"That's not possible," I say, following the butterfly with my eyes and I am more astonished because all the rahonis in the room make the same sequence of colors in synchrony. If I didn't know better, I would think they were an army trained to use these signals together.
"Do you know what they are doing, or what it means," asks the private.
The last time I worked with this scourge, he was one of the lowest members of my crew. He must no longer do the same work because most of my team is trained to recognize these signals.
"Commander Tarak, can you share your hypothesis with us?"
"As part of my training for missions, I had to learn the old communication signals, in case we ever needed to use it in the field and that butterfly–"
"Rahoni," insists their uptight scourge owner.
"This sequence of colors they flash—yellow, green, green, blue, red—it translates to danger. Where and how did they learn it?" I ask, turning to their owner.
"I do not know," says their owner. "I've only seen them do it a few times, though, usually in the park and now."
"Why would they be flashing these colors now?" asks Rigel.
One of those rahonis lands on Rigel's wall unit, right next to the message. Then a second rahoni affixes itself to the wall unit, too. It is as if a command is sent between these creatures because they all affix themselves to the wall, occupying every spot of the wall except where the text is displayed.
"Do you think they are trying to tell us something?" says Rigel.
"My pets started flashing those particular colors when the message was displayed on the wall unit," says their owner.
I read the message—Movement of the translator chip into room 2054. Room 2054 is registered as belonging to the scourge, Loviatar Lyth.
"Loviatar Lyth," says the private. "That must be why my pets make that color pattern. They must associate him with danger. They first made that sign when they encountered Loviatar in the park."
I am confused. "Loviatar is not here now, though, so why–"
"Don't you see, they can read," says the private, tapping on the name on the wall.
"That is not possible. Butterflies cannot–"
"Rahonis," Rigel and the private say simultaneously.
"So, the rahonis must believe Loviatar poses a danger to others, so..." Rigel's wings flutter and he turns toward the message on the wall. "Wall unit, who does the translator chip belong to?"
"This translator chip currently resides in the pet with the registered name hooman," says the wall unit, and Kayla's face appears on the wall.
Only now does it all come together in my mind. The rahonis believe Loviatar is dangerous. Since Kayla has the translator chip in her brain and the message indicates she is in a room registered to Loviatar, that can only mean... "Kayla's in danger," I shout.
The three of us stampede out the door with the colorful rahonis swooping over us.
We have not run more than one hallway when the three of us come to a halt.
"Do you know where room 2054 is?" I ask Rigel.
"No..."
I tap my wrist unit, planning to pull up a map, but right then one of the rahonis spins in the air, pulsating a bright yellow and streaking down the hallway.
"Follow the rahonis," shouts the private.
My eyes go from one of the creatures hovering over the private to the eyes of Rigel and the private. "You want us to follow..." Butterflies. Tiny birds. "Pets?!"
The rahonis streak through the air, flying over us and flashing bright red on their bellies.
Rigel and the private run after them.
I... I need my Kayla, so I chase after them, too.
My Kayla! I need to find you. I will take you home, feed, hydrate, and bathe you.
I will never let you out of my room again, because...
I can't live without you,
Because... I love you.
***
I am a scourge, and I don't even know Hydra's layout on this side of the ship. So, I am astonished that these butterflies not only flash colors together, but they seem to possess knowledge of our ship's layout as they fly in unison, all going in the same direction.
So, when we turn a corner and the pets do loop-de-loops, hovering in front of room 2054, I gaze at the rahonis with admiration.
These pets must possess some supernatural intelligence.
Shouts come from down the hallway. "We are investigating the unlawful modification of pets. Do not interfere."
Scourges dressed in the dark uniforms of the Pet Welfare Intelligence Agency, the ones who had accused me of committing crimes, march toward us.
This door does not open for us, so I step aside, giving the Pet Welfare Intelligence Agency officials space to work. They bang at the metal door. Others speak into their wrist units. One of their attempts must work because the door slides open. Instead of going through the door, these scourges just huddle together, speaking into their wrist units.
I cannot wait, not when my Kayla is in danger, so I shove the other scourges out of my way. A few of the rahonis fly through the open door with me.
"Stop!"
"No!" I shout and the door closes behind me.
I chase after the rahonis. Together we will find my Kayla.
***
We get to another metal door at the end of some sort of lobby. I use the universal hand motion to open this door and it stays closed.
I'm so worried about Kayla, maybe that's how I hear the distinct pitter-patter of Kayla's racing heart through the metal door. I pound against the door in frustration, unable to get to my scared pet.
A few of the rahonis land on the door and cling to it with their feet. They flash a bright blue several times in a row, and the door opens.
I storm into the room with the rahonis. We will save my pet.
"Please, hurts, stop," cries Kayla.
My Kayla is bound to the table and that vile scourge Loviatar looms over her.
The scent of blood hangs in the air and when Loviatar gazes at me with blood on his fangs, I leap.
No one hurts my Kayla! I hurl Loviatar into the wall. I punch and pound.
"Commander Tarak!"
No, I will not stop. My fists and my fangs were made for this and I'm slamming and slashing. This scourge must never hurt her again.
I'm about to slam into Loviatar again, and Rigel's face pops in front of me. I narrowly miss hitting him.
Loviatar's face is covered in blood, as are my fists. Did I lose track of time? Even the scourges clad in black from the Pet Welfare Intelligence Agency stand against the wall, making no move toward me.
"Kayla needs your help," says Rigel.
I rush to Kayla, leaving Loviatar.
The agency officials descend on Loviatar. "Loviatar Lyth, we are arresting you for the abuse and mistreatment of pets."
Kayla is bound to the table. I am so upset that I slash through the ropes with my fangs, freeing her. I support her body, pulling her into a sitting position. She leans against me.
My Kayla. I was supposed to keep her safe. My hand goes immediately to the bandages on her throat. The stitches and bandages are still intact. My eyes flit over the rest of her body. She has always been prideful about the clothing she wore from the spaceship. I know because one time after her bath, I tried to exchange her clothing with something more befitting of a pet (a tight, form-fitting spandex bodysuit recommended by the Zon). She got so distressed I returned her clothes. So, to see her clothing now torn to shreds...
She's gripping me tightly, her heart still racing, and she's trembling.
Her leg twitches, and that's when I see the blood on her legs.
I roar in frustration. How had I failed my pet? I kiss her near the bandage on her throat, but she needs so much more. I am big and strong and powerful. What is the use of all my strength if I can't protect my Kayla? Seeing her shake and cling to me makes me feel so weak.
Her brow furrows. "You came."
I nuzzle her neck, being careful of the bandages. "I will always come for you, Kayla."
One of those rahonis lands near her, chirping. I'm tempted to push it away from Kayla. A dirty pet like a rahoni might infect her wounds. Except Kayla is reaching for it with a shaky hand. Kayla wants this, so I let the rahoni be.
The rahoni is so much smaller than her. It amazes me how gentle she is with this creature, so careful of how she pets the creature's wings. The rahoni purrs.
"Like fireflies," she says.
Kayla's hand drops from the rahoni. The rahoni peeps, nudging and placing a tiny paw on her hand. Kayla's eyes close.
Maybe it's not good to let her fall asleep? I shake Kayla. "Stay with me, please, Kayla..."
Her eyes briefly flutter open, her eyes going from the rahoni to me. "Love... fireflies... Love..." She places a palm against my chest. Her hands are cold, like ice and I clench her hand in my large one, trying to give her my warmth.
Her fluttering eyes gaze at me. "Love you, Tarak."
I'm so close I can see brown freckles on her cheeks. I lean closer to her. My lips brush against her.
"Sorry," she whispers, her body stiffening.
She stares straight ahead, and her eyes are glassy as if she doesn't see me.
"Kayla?"
Her arms and legs flail as if someone is shaking her entire body.
"She's seizing!" shouts a scourge.
"Put her down! Do not restrain her!"
I lay her back down. The other scourges bark orders at me, telling me not to interfere. I cannot even hold my Kayla right. All I can do is helplessly watch.
When she no longer jitters, another scourge says he is a medic and examines her. He wraps a bandage around her foot and tells me he has stopped the bleeding. "She should be taken for a full medical evaluation."
Rigel prods me, and I pull her into my arms.
"We will escort you," says the medic.
I carry her down the ship's corridors. At first, I feel as if I am in a dream, aware only of me and Kayla, but as I continue, I notice the tight circle around me. There's Rigel on my left. Feathers from his wide wings brush against my shoulder and I can feel the warmth from his body. On my right is the private. His rahonis fly overhead, trilling and chirping and glowing a steady yellow, almost as if they are trying to show us the way. All around us are the other scourges clad in black. She is in my arms, motionless with her eyes closed. I wish she could be awake to see this; how all the other aliens escort her.
May we keep her safe.