speaking. He could speak over one
hundred languages from the various planets and the different groups from within
the planets, but he had never heard this one.
“Wavvi, vehhva rot,” (Hello, little one),
he said. His voice was deep and mellow, but the strange accent startled her.
Her eyes began to focus on him and her
face expressed her surprise. She slightly gasped at the large alien standing
beside her. He smiled, reached his large hand over and gently patted her hand.
“Ko ul rietr hi fa neta.” (You are going
to be fine.)
She didn’t understand what he said, but
his smile and the gentle touch of his warm hand said it for him. She
immediately knew that he was here to help her. She sat up and looked around.
“Where am I?” she said slowly, as though
it would make him understand.
He did understand, but not because of
what she said. The look on her face, the quick scan of the strange room, and
that if he were in the same position that would be the first thing he would
ask.
He gazed around the room, spread his arms wide, and said slowly, “Hwez ez jk zweb.” (This is my ship.)
She shrugged, turned her palms up in a
questioning gesture and had a blank, half-smiling look on her face. He
understood her expression.
He took both of his hands, touched his
chest with his fingers and said, “Tarku Zivok,” and then pointed both hands to
her. She immediately realized that he had just said his name and wanted to know
hers.
She copied his motion, touching her
fingers to her chest and said, “Janet Shelby.”
He smiled and repeated, “Janet Shelby.”
She smiled and said, “Tarku Zivok.”
He was pleased that she understood and
even pronounced his name correctly. He extended a hand out to her. She looked
at his large hand with claws in place of fingernails and placed her hand in
his. She was surprised that, although it looked rough, his hand was much the
same as any human’s.
She slowly swung her legs over the side
of the bed and stood. She looked up at him and smiled, happy that she was quite
stable and not even slightly unbalanced or weak. The nourishment that he had
fed into her veins had quickly stabilized and replenished her weakened body. He
moved towards the door and motioned for her to come with him.
“Sija, Janet Shelby,” he said.
The one language that seemed to be
universal was body language. When either of them nodded, the other knew it
meant yes. When he extended a hand, she knew it was an invitation to come with
him. He even understood the questioning gesture she did earlier and the blank
look on her face. The door opened and she followed him into the corridor. She
had no idea that she was on a spacecraft. It was so large that she thought he
had taken her to his planet. She also noticed that there were no other beings
around. At the end of the corridor a door slid open to what resembled a round
elevator.
They stepped in and he said, “Fler!” The door closed and within two seconds
opened again. They were on the ship’s bridge. She couldn’t believe that they
moved from one deck to another in two seconds and she didn’t even feel it move.
As they stepped out of the elevator, she was amazed at the sight before her,
and now realized that she was on board a spacecraft. There was a large chair,
surrounded with electronic consoles. Encircling the room like one continuous
window, were large monitors showing a panoramic view around the outside of the
spacecraft. Her attention was immediately drawn to one. She saw Intrepid, being
held by the purple beam of light, and quickly walked over to the monitor and
pointed.
“This is my ship! Where is it?”
He knew it was time for her to see Ron
and Oliver’s bodies. He motioned for her to come with him and they stepped into
the elevator again.
“Hwla!” he said, as the doors closed and
again reopened in two seconds. They were back on the same floor that they had
just come from, walking down the same corridor, only this time, stopping at
Jack Ketchum, Lucky McKee
Lili St Germain, Callie Hart