Free Alien Manifesto by T.W. Embry Page B

Snarth realized. “That’sss just great! Once
you finally get free of their liesss sssomething like thisss
comesss up and sssucks you right back into the middle again,” he
said bitterly, aloud to no one. It was time to tell the team,
Snarth realized. I just hope they do not
quit and leave me to straighten this all out by myself, he mused as he headed for the gymnasium, as it
was 0400.
    ~
    As the team gathered around him,
Snarth wondered again how to tell them about his quandary, and how
to ask for their help. He decided that the plain and simple truth
was the best course.
    “ My friendsss,” Snarth
began, “I find myssself in need of your help. I have gotten
myssself into a sssituation with an old asssociate and enemy. A
sssituation hasss arisssen that hasss put me, and by assssociation
you, in a very difficult and dangerousss posssition. It ssseemsss
that one of my old asssociatesss, AArat, hasss managed to worm
hisss way back to the top of the Galactic intelligence ssservice.
And azsss you know hasss found out about the artifact. Whether he
wantsss if for himssself, or for the Cult of Eli … I can’t be
sssure. In either cassse I cannot tell him itsss location. If I do,
I will violate my persssonal code of honor and dessstroy a
reputation I have ssspent a very long lifetime building. When I
recruited each of you I had no idea that my actionsss would lead to
thisss. I don’t yet have a plan of action and I am asssking each of
you to join me in righting what I believe to be a grave threat. Not
only isss it a threat to each of usss but it isss a threat to the
entire Galactic government, and through it every civilized being in
the galaxy. If you choossse to move on I will underssstand and not
hold a grudge. However, I caution each of you that the reach of
AArat and hisss assssociatesss isss vassst and encompassssesss
every inhabited planet in the galaxy. There will be no place that
is sssafe for long and for that I am deeply sssorry. I do think
that with your help we can put a ssstop to AArat and the Cult of
Eli’s plansss,” finished Snarth with shoulders slumped, his
tentacles drooped and still.
    “ I for one intend to take
them head on,” I declared. “I may be the newcomer but the thought
of running turns my stomach. I would rather die standing up on my
own two feet having taken as many of those bastards with me as I
can.”
    “ Count me in,” said the
Irishman.
    “ Me too,” growled Rowl.
Because where one went the other was not far behind, such friends
were they.
    “ I have no better offers at
present, so I guess you can count me in too,” mewed the feline
master, throwing her hat into the ring as well.
    Snarth bowed from the waist to each of
the team members and said, “I pledge my life and fortune to each of
you. You have each ssshown the noble character from which you were
cassst. I am forever in your debt. Rowl, you are in charge of the
team’sss training until I return. I have sssome old friendsss to
visssit. Maybe they will have sssome information that I need in
order to form a plan of action.”
    Raising his hand to the forthcoming
objections Snarth said, “I will be sssafe as long azsss AArat
thinksss I might hand over the artifact. And I may be able to lay
sssome falssse trailsss in the meantime. However if I don’t return
in three daysss I suggest you all ssscatter and find sssome place
to hide until I contact you. Be sssure and keep your
communicatorsss clossse and trust no one except each other,”
cautioned Snarth. “Three daysss should give me enough time to
assscertain jussst how deep the Cult of Eli hasss penetrated the
Galactic Council, if at all. Until then.” Turning with a swirl of
his cape Snarth headed for his now waiting shuttle.
    Rowl wasted no time in trying to train
us to exhaustion. As a result, the three days went quickly. Near
the end of the third day at the evening meal, as the team was
making plans to scatter, Snarth’s shuttle returned.
    A decidedly harried and